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FOOD AND WATER STOCKPILING
out. All supplements with iron should be kept out of the reach of children.
Concentrated Food A number of food powders, tablets and bars are sold as compact, light-weight survival foods. Most are made from soy protein with basically the same quality protein. Some are sold as high energy sources low in calories—a contradiction of claims. Whatever their true values, remember this: no matter how concentrated or light-weight, no truly balanced food can contain more than 2600 calories per pound, and that's an average day's need. Buyer beware.
Miracle Foods Some foods are advertised as the "perfect storage food", so let's look at the facts. Vegetable Protein Combinations. This product is a blend of vegetable proteins—most notably beans and grains—and is normally formed into pasta and other shapes. The manufacturer of one brand claims that his "discovery" of the age-old principle of combining grains with legumes to improve protein quality is revolutionary! As balanced as their amino acid profile may be, their protein quality does not exceed that obtained by simply eating the combinations of grains and beans in the same meal. And, no matter how cheap the price, the mixing and forming of the ingredients makes them cost more than the grains and beans they are made from. On top of that, they are often sold through multi-level distribution programs, which substantially increases the cost further. Spirulina. Dried spirulina plankton is touted by some as the "wonder food of the future" and the "ultimate survival food". It is a variety of blue-green algae similar to the familiar slimy green seaweed at the beach, and is sold to be mixed with water or juice—to disguise the taste—to make a drink that is a "complete" food with "balanced nutrients". One ad claims it is "far superior to soy beans, cheese, fish, meat, eggs or milk". The raw truth flatly refutes that claim. While very high in protein content, the quality of the protein is less than that of either soy or peanut protein and no where near the quality of meat or milk, let alone eggs. It is the highest known source of vitamin B 12 but is low in B1 and B 6 . It is also low in bulk, and not having enough bulk causes the body to loose muscle tone to where the digestive tract won't move food through normally. And it is very low in